CX natz

well cross natz has come and gone but surely will not be forgotten anytime soon. i went to rhode island with the intention of watching the crew race and kick ass and attempting to ride a halfway respectable race myself. i have to say that my excitement grew as the races went on and the crew went out and rocked it in each event. i have to say though that my heart goes out to my buddy matt. i was certain he was going to kill it friday and when he took off like a shot at the start and just pulled away i started to see stars and stripes in my eyes, but alas, it wasn't meant to be as a mechanical crippled his chances like that. he finished 7th and well shit, i'd love to be able to say i was 7th at natz one day but i know he wanted more. next year matt, next year. finally it was the dieter's turn and with a half shitty starting spot i was not completely sure of his chances. quickly that changed as he was sitting top 5 in the matter of half a lap. before you know it, 3 are off the front, dieter being number 3. i could see that he was at the absolute limit but i guess when you are in that position at natz with a prize of stars and stripes and gold waiting at the finish miraculous things happen. all year flyin' ryan was in a rut, not one of those 1 or 2 week deals but a season long rut. everytime it seemed like he was about to get out he slid right back in and i know he was doubting himself but no one else did. we all believed... all of the MAB, who were there in good times and bad, believed the dieter had it in him. last friday he showed us all that he did. coming up the finish second wheel and closing the gap to squeak out the biggest win was something i'll never forget. i ran, we ran, everyone ran to hug, tackle and show love to the dieter as he was a champ, a NATIONAL CHAMP! i'll leave out the post congratulatory, pre-celebratory podium details but lets just say it was a something that had to be seen.



well, onward with the story.... another time

new ride

well, nationals is just around the corner and i'm feeling some highs and lows. i'm super psyched that my form is still with me and i've been able to ride strong the last couple of weeks. i'm happy that i'm getting support from my family and friends (the MAB). what is not making me happy is the lack of support from my team. it totally pisses me off that all they really seem to care about is road racing. i've basically accomplished more this cross season results wise than anyone has on the road or probably will be able to accomplish on the road. so it has forced me to start evaluating other options. i guess in the world of amateur bike racing you would say i'm searching for a new ride for next year. although i plan on racing some road and some mountain i'm gonna go all in when it comes to 'cross season next year. so if anyone knows of any teams that would be looking for a 'cross racer please let me know, cause i'm looking to race with a group of people that will really appreciate me when it comes to 'cross.

oh yeah and i totally snagged an AWESOME christmas tree tonight!!! i'll give it a 10 out of 10!

perpetual silver medalist

well i survived friday night's party. it was my first client party at C&P and i totally had to learn to shmooze the clients. i was told that shmoozing was a politically correct way of being a brown nose. i'm sure that many people wonder what it would be like to see their boss(es) suck on the beer teat and i was lucky enough to see it. although no one got smashed, some were closer to the bottom of the bag than others. i had to keep it together since i new and had to race the following morning.

Saturday morning came a little quicker than i would have appreciated but i got up and got on with the routine and prepared for the race. i always have a tendency to check out the competition when i get there to evaluate my chances, and it was definitely looking good for me. a couple of possible contenders but it appeared that i would be the man to be this day until HE showed up. good ol' ed meyer came all the way from NH and crushed any hope i had of 1st place. i attacked hard from the start with him close behind and quickly there were three of us off the front... then only two. ed and i were cruising away as i was cheered on by the predominately local crowd. "stay with him frank stay with him!" were the most common cheers i heard as many knew that ed would be a favorite to win. as we hit the flat part of the course he just motored away from me laying down power that i can only dream of. i chased hard through the ballpark as i coursed in and out until i got to the technical part of the course and then i saw it. he had f*cked up and was running up the hill. i was salivating knowing that i was flying through that part of the course! i nailed him back to about 5 secs but as soon as we hit the flat pavement part of the course he exposed my 12 year old boy power and rocketed away from me. well, i had to let him go as there was no way i was gonna get him back and i quickly turned my focus to preserving 2nd and not having a system meltdown as i was working with uncrisp legs at this point. in the end i nailed home a second place finish and another medal. once again i was the bridesmaid and not the bride. at least i'm gaining confidence in my form before nationals. this time last year i was riding like crap but i feel like im still going strong now.

i wonder how the MAB is making out right now???